rubber check

American  

noun

1. a check drawn on an account lacking the funds to pay it; a check that bounces.

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rubber check Idioms  

1. A check drawn on an account without the funds to pay it, as in He's been handing out rubber checks right and left, but the police have caught up with him. The rubber alludes to the fact that, like rubber, the check “bounces,” in this case back from the bank. [Slang; c. 1920]

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Etymology

Origin of rubber check

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

Example Sentences

For example, at one point the demonstrator holds up a rubber duck and asks Gemini if it will float.

From BBC • Dec. 8, 2023

Mr. Hofman last displayed one of his traveling inflatables in Hong Kong in 2013, when the city’s harbor was visited by a solitary giant rubber duck.

From Washington Times • Jun. 10, 2023

Hofman, who was inspired by a world map and rubber duck to create his installation, began a world tour starting from the Netherlands in 2007, making stops in harbours from France to Brazil.

From Reuters • Jun. 10, 2023

Crow's yacht, the Michaela Rose, decked out with motorboats and a giant inflatable rubber duck, met the travelers at a fishing town on the island of Flores.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2023

Here's what's weird about that: Why would you even want one rubber duck, let alone 5,631?

From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds